“The Mandate For The New Year”

 “The Mandate For The New Year”

“And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me?
Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” - Exodus 14:15 (KJV)

As we enter a new year, many people make commitments called "New Year resolutions" which more likely fail to uphold. Many love to look back at the past year for different reasons. Maybe is to recall struggles or accomplishments. Maybe is to look back to celebrate successes or gripe about failures. Many raise the hope on what the New Year may bring to their lives. They asked themselves whether in the New Year, their lives would be better or worst.

Today message, “The Mandate For The New Year” reflects on what is God’s mandate for His children and His Church. 

Let’s begin by taking a moment to look and reflect at the critical point in which the people of Israel found themselves in Exodus 14:5-15 (KJV).  

• It is in that instant that God orders the march forward into the waters of the Red Sea.
• In front of them the fear of the unknown and
• There was an opportunity to conquer it by means of the faith and action.

A message we can use for the New Year.

~ Let's see what we can get out of all this ~

 I. Tell the people “not to look back”.

1. Sometimes is good to look back at our past:

• To prevent committing the same mistakes.
• To continue with our successes.
• To expand our capacities

2. Cases in which we should not look back to our past:

• "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." –Luke 9:62 - The ones that continue the work of God with a distracted mind and with a divided heart can not reach the salvation.
• The expression "to look back", truly doesn't’t meant to return to the life we were living, but there is reluctance to disengage from it.  
• This manifest with reference to Lot’s wife – Sodom was about to be destroy by God. Angels came to get Lot, his wife and daughters out of the city. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Genesis 19:14-17,29 

3. In Israel situation –

• What advantage was there to look back at the Egyptians?
• What advantage was there to look at the desert surroundings?
• Get away quickly of everything that they could remember from slavery in Egypt.

4. In our situation –

• What are the advantages to look back to our past chained lives?
• To look back at our grudges, resentments, and weaknesses?
• What advantage there is to look at the desert of our lives? Past difficulties?

II.  “Why are you crying out to Me?”

1. Is it bad to claim our petitions to God?

• No, only when the attitude is correct we can claim on Him.
• Actually He wants us to ask Him - “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name”. – John 16:23
• If He is our Father, then to whom we should claim our petitions.

2. What was God’s reason –

•  Three principles:  

1. The cry of Israel – was not a prayer, it was a mere critic of Him and Moses – Exodus 14:11
2. They only remember God in times of desperate need and here they were facing the danger of falling into Egyptians hands.
3. Even if their cry may be justified, is a mere contemplative attitude of waiting for a miracle, which does not help anyone. There was one thing more urgent for this moment. (Often, our prayers are lamentations and our lives is all a bitter criticism).

The Psalmist asked himself in Psalm 42:9 – “Why must I go about mourning”.  Precisely, that was what the people of Israel were doing on that crucial moment – mourning! complaining! criticizing! 

Can we answer to these questions?

• Can you find any reason on why you regret often instead of rejoicing? 
• Who told you that the night never ends at daytime?

Apostle Paul advice us in Philippians 4:6 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God".

The author of Hebrews said – “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”. Hebrews 12:1

There are weights that are not sins in themselves, but they become stumbling blocks and obstacles in the progress of our Christian life. One of the worst is discouragement.

Let us not ever doubt God with His love and faithfulness for all of us and forever. It is very easy to fall into the habit of doubt, anguish, and ask whether God has forsaken us and if after all, our hopes will end in failure.

We must refuse to be unhappy – “Let’s us count all our joy” when we can not feel the emotion of happiness. All things work for good to those who love the Lord, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Each one of you have been call to His purpose, The Church – the Body of Christ to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ – The Good News.  We delight through the faith of the spirit and we consider the joy as a reality, and we will speak with certainty that God will make our consideration real.

The devil has mastered two traps for us.
Be aware! Don’t let yourselves be fool by one of these traps.

1. One is to discourage us - Then for a time, at least we are useless to others, and are defeated.
2. The other is to make us doubt – In order to break the faith which united us to our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 46:10 – "Be Still and know that I am God"

III. Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

1. People of Israel faced an urgent extreme moment – of life or death.  Behind them the Egyptians army was tailing them. On both sides, were the open desert plains – no place to hide.  They only can expect to die if they get caught by the Egyptians. Every passing moment, the threat increased No escape! Only in front of them was the deep Red Sea and behind them the ferocious Egyptian Army. (What would you do? How would you react?).  In front of them the Red Sea “Let’s conquer it” – Faith.
2. There is always a place to exercise the faith.  In front of us a New Year “Let’s conquer it”.  It is about trusting God’s Word and His power.  It is a mandate to march forward, to move, to do our part in the divine plan of the Lord.

What is Faith? - The Author of Hebrews said - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" - Hebrews 11:1

Today, many Christians live an intermediate Christian life, because they have come to be occupied with exterior things, and to depend on their circumstances instead of depending on God.  They are capricious people!

God wants us to see Him in all things, and not to call anything small, if it is a carrier medium of his message. (Remember what He did with five loaves and three fish, to feed a crowd).

The Israelites did not believe in the Lord until they saw Him doing His works. Exodus 14:31 
How many of you doubt? Do you want to see the results of God’s works in your life, family, work, and including in the church before believing in His power?

The Israel's people lived a life of "back and forth", because of their kind of faith, was a faith that had depended on the circumstances. This is not the kind of faith that God wants us to have.
God’s mandate for Israel at that crucial moment was to move forward and don’t look back until they reach the other side of the Red Sea.  Just as the mandate He gave through His Angels to Lot and family to escape Sodom and don't look back until they reach safe ground. 

Make a mental effort to visualize what their eyes were witnessing when they saw the Red Sea being divided to make a clear a dry passage for them to escape the wrath of the Egyptians. Afterward, seeing the sea closed and drowning the Egyptian army.  (Probably, you have seem the movie "The Ten Commandments")

The Exodus and the Red Sea Crossing  (A video of proof researchers found of the crossing of the Red Sea)

God’s mandate for us is “to go forward” as we enter the New Year – 

Move forward to the unknown things to come in the New Year.  Leaving behind all the troubles, failures, doubts, the enemy who is chasing you to keep you trap no where to go but to move forward – Don’t look back saying – “If I only could have done …” “If I only could have ..."  NOT "Ifs" - Just move forward and put your trust in God! 
 
In Matthew 11:28 – "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. 
 
Finally, God’s New Year mandate for His church is also to move forward –
 
In Mat 28:19 –“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.”
 
- As Christians, this is our "Mandate for the New Year" - Go and make disciples of all nations!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year

May God Bless You

Your Brother in Christ

Moises Miranda

Follow my tweets at twitter.com/prayerlighthous

The Importance of Prayer

"The Importance of Prayer"  
Reference Scriptures: Ephesians 6:18

In Ephesians chapter 6, verse 18, are words that express a surprising and overwhelming force to the pressing importance of prayer:
- “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”.
When we stop to consider the meaning of these words and notice the context, we are driven to exclaim; “I should pray, pray, and pray! I should pray with all my energy and all my heart, be of more, I should pray!"

 Let’s notice every “all”
1. “all our prayer”
2. “all the time”
3. “all supplication in the Spirit”
4. “all perseverance”
5. “all saints” (In essence, the bible refers to saints (Holy ones) those who belong to the universal body of Christ as His Saints).

 Also note the strong agglomeration of words:
1. “prayer”
2. “supplication”
3. “perseverance”
In addition lets note the significance expression; “being watchful” or "be vigilant" (alert).

Apostle Paul understood the natural laziness of man, and especially for prayer – Alert in prayer. How seldom we pray for things until obtaining them! How often the church and the individual approach the point where they can receive a blessing in prayer, and then suddenly loose, fall asleep, stop praying!
It is my wish that these words, “being watchful in all prayer” – Could penetrate to the most intimate part of our hearts.

A constant, persistence, vigilant, and victorious prayer is necessary. Why?

1. Because there is a cunning adversary, powerful and tireless, always scheming to make the fall of the son of God, and if this cease in prayer, will fall into the trap of the adversary. “Like a roaring lion.”

2. The second reason for a constant, persistent, vigilant, and victorious prayer, is the prayer, is a divinely way appointed to us to obtain our needs, and the great cause of experiencing deficiency in our lives and our labor is the neglect in prayer . In James 4:2 – “You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.”

Why do I grow slowly in the Christian life? Many asked!

Negligence in prayer - God answer – “because you have not asked”

I often pray or pray everyday – Some of you may say – but still don’t get what you ask?

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”. –James 4:3

3. There is a more powerful reason in favor of this victorious, vigilant, persistent, and constant prayer: The prayer occupied a very prominent place and was very important in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ while He was in this world.   One example – see Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

No other system, philosophy, or religious doctrine, raise man to this supreme idea of filial relationship with God and as a Father who loves, guides, and protects His creation until the revelation of Jesus Christ Throughout the Old Testament we are taught that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Governor of the universe, the Almighty - Omniscient and Omnipresent. From here and there we see signs of His love and mercy.

However, is Jesus Christ the ultimate and the last revelation of God who teaches us to pray not only addressing Him as the Creator - Sovereign - but lifts us into a filial relationship with Him, teaching us that He is our father. Here is a new idea and transcendent the fatherhood of God related to man. This goes beyond the conception of the relationship between creature and creator. We read in John 1:12 (NIV) – “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’,” Able to invoke God as the Father gives another meaning to life and considerably enhances the label of Christian. Being a Christian means more than bestowing that name. More than a certain cult profess or practice any particular religion.

Being a Christian means, to pray, with certainty to tell the truth: “Our Father who art in heaven.” It means even more: To feel and live in this intimate filial relationship. In Romans 8:16 we read – “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children”. It actually allows dismissing all doubt and uncertainty about the future. Produce the ineffable joy that our soul feels a softer contact with the Father.

Now that we are clear to whom our prayers are directed, Apostle Paul indicates us that for our prayer to be effective we must put the full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). Here, Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (v10).

Basically, putting on the armor of God, consists of turning our thoughts to God (Our Heavenly Father) and the truths of our position before Him: He has given us His truth and we are the righteousness of Christ. If we jump into prayer without first turning our thoughts to these truths, we become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks Whenever we turn to God in prayer, Satan becomes alerted to do anything possible to keep us from praying.
Therefore, we must be watchful as Apostle Paul states.

When our thoughts wander off from the purpose of our prayer, Satan begins to attack us by poisoning our minds with doubts, making us feel whether our prayers will be heard and answer, thus making us hurry through the prayer to finish or get distracted by others things. In Matthew 26:41- Jesus said to His sleepy,  distracted disciples– “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. 
For a prayer to be effective, it must be done in the Spirit – verse 18- “And pray in the Spirit”.  Jesus told that Samaritan woman in John 4:24 – “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth”.  Just as Ephesians 6:18 – Here Jesus is saying that worship is done in spirit and truth. 

An effective prayer is the result of being watchful and alert while praying. Have any of you fallen asleep in prayer? Some of you have done so. Note that we are to stay on the alert "for all the saints”. We are to be guarding others. We have a joint responsibility as the body of Christ to guard each other; Paul made it very clear in his letter to the Ephesians.

A prayer also requires perseverance. Paul says, -"Be on the alert with all perseverance”. In Hebrews 12:1 – Apostle Paul said – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”.  In Romans 12:12 he said – “rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer”.

Many asked, how does God work through prayer?  We may never understand or know the answer. However, it is fundamentally no different from the way God works through any of our actions. God works through prayer in the same exact way. Our Father in Heaven waits the prayers / petitions of His children. All effective prayers must include the Trinity of God - (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) We pray with the Holy Spirit, and we need to abide in Jesus (our mediator) and in the Word for our prayer to be effective. 

In John 15:7- Jesus said – “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”.

KEY WORDS “IF YOU” Are you abiding in Jesus and in God's Words? “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit”-

Jesus encourage us to pray- See Mathew 7:7-8 - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be openned to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened".

Would you pray now?

May God Bless You!

Praying with Thanksgiving - Is a Power Prayer

 Praying with Thanksgiving

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” –Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
In the lesson on prayer that the Apostle Paul gives us in Philippians 4:6, there are two words that we often neglected in our prayers; these two words are: “with thanksgiving”

As we approach God to ask for new blessings, we must never forget to give thanks for blessings already received. We must be as defined in thanksgiving as we are in prayer. We approach God with specific requests. However, when we thank Him, we must do it in a general and indefinitely way.

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons why many of our prayers have no power because we have not given thanks for blessings already received.

When Jesus healed the ten lepers (Luke 17:14) and only one returned to express his gratitude (Luke 17:15-16), shocked and saddened, Jesus asked him (Luke 17:17) - "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”

The thanksgiving for the blessings received already, enlarges our faith, and gives us the capacity to get closer to God with new courage and new hope. Men of the Bible, mighty in prayer and the history of the church have been men enshrined in thanksgiving and praise.

David was a godly man mighty in prayer, abounded with his psalms of thanksgiving and praise! The following verse by Apostle Paul in Romans 12:12 remind us to – “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”.

The apostles were powerful men in the prayer, and of them we read, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”- (Acts 2:46-47)

Apostle Paul was a mighty man of prayer and often in his letters he exclaims definitively the importance of always giving thanks in prayers. In Colossians 1:3 – “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you”, in Colossians 4:2 – “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”. Jesus at the last supper – Mat 26:27 – “Then He took the cup and gave thanks…”

Question for you: Are you devoted to prayer? Are you being and THANKFUL every time?
Given thanks for what you have is not reserve only for Thanksgiving Day.
In 1 Th. 5:18- says, “Give thanks in all circumstances”

Psalm 95:2 – "Let us come before Him with thanksgiving". 

THY KINGDOM COME

Praying to God with Power

Theme: Basic Principles of a Prayer and its nature as Lord teaches us in the Bible.

Today blog topic:  Praying to God with power:

Bible verse: Acts 12:5 - "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant[a] prayer was offered to God for him by the church".
Footnotes: [a]. Acts 12:5 NU-Text reads constantly (or earnestly)

One of the most relentless questions that we asked in our Christian life is:

How to pray with power?

At times, we believe that to pray with power is to pray with a powerful voice in which we emphasize with vibrant voice our petitions.  Perhaps making feel inferior the brother who perhaps is of less powerful and perhaps short voice in expressing himself.  In other words, prayer has no power base if it is pronounced in a strong or softer voice.  It has its foundation deeper than any vocal chords.

In the book of Acts chapter 12 of the Apostles, we have the story of a prayer that prevailed with God and produced large results. To see what led to this prayer, we must go back in chapter 11 of Acts; here we read that many believers were being persecuted and were scattered to many different places (Acts 11:1). Now in verse 26 of Acts 11- “… for a whole year they assembled themselves as a church in Antioch, and taught much to people. And the disciples were called Christians".  (They were a church - The body of Christ).
 
Now entering Acts chapter 12 – King Herod decided to hurt few of the church leaders. He arrested Peter and James the brother of John.  In front of the Jews, King Herod  used his sword and killed James. As this pleased the Jews who were present, he then placed Peter in prison with intensions to be executed after the days of unleavened bread (Acts 12:1-4).  Now in verse 5 of chapter 12 of  Acts, we found the answer of how to pray with power, let’s read the second part of this verse:

 -  “…but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”

 
I. The first thing we notice in this verse is the consistence expression “to God”
It does not matter how you express yourself one way or the other. Strong vibrant voice or in a softer tone. It doesn't matter how the body feels, what is important is the state of your soul.  Still, some of you may argue: Aren’t all prayers directed to God?  No necessary, I'll explain.

Much of what is call prayer; private or public is not to God.  For a prayer to be truthful directed to God, there must be a conscious and definite approach to God upon praying.  In many prayers, God is not in the thoughts of those intending to pray. That is to say, many times upon praying, we are thinking more in our own needs than in our Almighty and loving Heavenly Father, to whom we must direct our prayers. (Remember? -"Our Father in Heaven").

Often, we don’t even think on our needs or to whom we are praying to. There is no power in that type of prayer. When in reality we see him face to face in the place of prayer. When in truth we seek the things we desire of Him, then there is power in the prayer.  (Remember? "Thy Kingdom come")

Therefore, if we want to pray effectively, the first thing that we need to assure ourselves would be in the following three things:
1. Believe that God is attentive to our prayers and that we are in His presence. In Hebrew 4:16 said – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”.

2. Before offering our petitions, we should feel defined and strongly that we are speaking with God.

3. Not only believe firmly that our petitions are heard by God and He is going to grant us what we ask Him according to His will.


II. The Second Secret in Praying Effectively: 
     We find it in verse 5 “…constant prayer…” (Constant or earnestly = without ceasing).

This is, not as extensively as if intensely. This represent to the soul with ardent and intense desire that continues constant in its prayer. In Luke 22:44 (NKJV) describes Jesus praying – “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” This type of prayer prevails with God, is the one that expresses the sincere yearning of the soul being extended towards God intensely from the deeper of our soul.

-“Out of the depths, I cry to You my soul” Psalm 130:1

Many modern prayers are powerless because they are not coming from the heart. 

• This is because we rushed to the presence of God.
• Here is a list of requests.
• We got up hurriedly and ran out.

If someone asked us an hour later about what things we prayed, frequently we would not be able to recall. If our petitions are presented with so much lightness is not strange that God does not take much effort to answer them.
 
How to obtain is intensity in the prayer?
If we like to pray effectively with intensity we have to let the Spirit of God to guide us and teach us to pray.
Here is a TIP:  PAUSE BEFORE PRAYING - FOCUS ON GOD (“Let His Kingdom Come”) - THEN PRAY

III.  The Third Secret in Praying Effectively: Is also found in the same verse 5 –
                                          

  “…constant prayer was offered by the church”

There is power in the unified prayer – the Church – Us – Body of Christ

- God delights in the unity of His people –

He increases it anyway, so His promises are a special blessing to the ones that pray in unity. Corporate Prayer has more power then an individual prayer.
In Matthew 18:19-20 we read; - “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.”

- This is Praying to God with Power –

Acts 12:6-10 - God answered the church prayer by sending His Angel to rescue Peter from prison.

- There is power in a unified prayer by the church –

God Bless

Your brother in Christ

Moises Miranda

Follow my tweets at twitter.com/prayerlightous

What God Expects from Our Prayers? -Part 2

Basic principles of a prayer and its nature - Jesus teaches in the Lord Prayer found in Matthew 6:6-13

This is the the second part of "What God expects from our prayers?" Based on Jesus Christ teachings through the prayer model known as the "Lord Prayer".
 Let us see the last three petitions in the Lord’s Prayer are directed to our personal needs. (Mat. 6:11-13)

1. “Give us our daily bread”- Material blessings are as necessary to our lives as spiritual blessings. Therefore, Jesus says that we should ask the bread of today. Not for tomorrow! Also, note that this request is not an egotist, but altruistic: “Give us this day our daily bread.” -Mat.6:11 (KJV). Nobody can do this prayer while practicing injustice toward others or refusing to help in time of need.

Jesus in John 6:35 declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry.”

Proverbs 30:8 – “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”

What Jesus teaches us in this request?

a. Our dependence on God - "Give"
b. The modesty to ask for: "Bread" (A Physical and Spiritual need)
c. Faith: "Today" - The brotherhood: we - "Our" (Not “me”)

Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus said –“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

2. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” Mat. 6:12 (God wants to hear your confessions). In 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Our confession to God. Here we make a confession because we recognize that we have debts (sins, offense). Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Through the study of this sentence, we have seen that it is assumed that you could not ask for us what we deny to others and to clarify this point, Jesus adds these words, “as we”.

“As we also forgiven our debtors.” (i.e. people who sinned against you, offended you, mistreated you, and made unlawful acts against you). Prior to beg the forgiveness of the Father, we must forgive those who have wronged us. A forgiving heart is required for prayer. God does not grant forgiveness to a soul who cannot forgive.

In Mark 11:25 Jesus said – “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgives him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins."

Key word is "if you hold" anything, even a little tiny thing against anyone. This is another difficult task for us to accept. To admit our faults, sins, and forgive those who have done wrong to us not matter the circumstances.

James 4:8 –“Come near God and He will come near you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double mind.”

James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

3. The third personal petition is: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Mat. 6:13)

The temptation that is to say, the test, required for the exercise of Christian freedom, and for the effective realization of the sanctity of individual improvement. Otherwise, even if we beat the evil, without virtue in us, active Holiness won in vigorous fight against evil.

Remember that the Lord Jesus was tempted many times. If not, we would then have a passive innocence in us, if we have the essence of evil, nor indeed hold on to good. We read in James 1:13-14 -“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”

Nevertheless, we should add, God as divine educator of free creatures, He permits the temptation with the purpose to exercise our fidelity and to enlarge our capacity of resistance.

For that reason, the Apostle Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 – “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil.”

Our Lord, Jesus Christ teaches us to pray acknowledging our own weakness and strength of God, which is accessible to us through Him. Let us find in Him the strength to overcome evil and live the life triumphant and radiant in the midst of the temptations that surround us in this life.

Concluding, let us see the reflections again of the model prayer known as “The Lord Prayer” that Jesus taught his disciples. Notice that Jesus placed;

1. First, the interests of God.

2. Secondly, the spiritual needs of man.

3. In third and finally, the material needs.

Most of us when we pray we reverse the order established by Jesus in this model prayer.

1. First, we ask for material things,

2. Then for spiritual blessings.

3. And finally, for things of God.

After all, prayer is something so simple like a child talking with his father. However, while difficult, the fact that it does not always act spontaneously and with pure motives.

We must therefore ask the Lord as His disciples did; “Teach us how to pray.” So that we do not pray using several repetitions, believing that by our verbiage, we will be heard.

Let us pray with simplicity and sincerity.

Let us talk to the Father in Heaven as a child speaks to his father, is the nature of a prayer that Jesus teaches us in the "Lord’s Prayer".

May God Bless you

Your brother in Christ

Moises Miranda

Christian Blogger

Follow me at http://twitter.com/prayerlighthous

What God Expects from Our Prayers?

Basic Principles of a Prayer and its nature - Jesus teaches in the Lord Prayer found in Matthew 6:6-13

Continuing on the “The Nature of a Prayer” that Jesus teaches in the “Lord’s Prayer”.


Also covered in my first blog were the five basic principles we must follow for prayer in (Matthew 6:6), Jesus then warned His disciples to avoid certain attitude and behavior while praying, like speaking repetitious words incoherently (babbling) spitting words without meaning repetitiously (Mat. 6:7). Given then assurance that God knows what they need before they ask (Mat. 6:8). These rules were given to show the simplicity of the "Lord's prayer" model he is about to give them. 

We can say that the Lord’s Prayer is the frame or outline to maintain or sustain the temple of our thoughts and meditations, which lifted to God through prayer. What Jesus said about the nature of prayer in Matthew 6:7-8?

To pray is to open our hearts to God.

God speaks to man through His Word. The man speaks to God through prayer and the link between them is meditation. (Thomas Manton, a Puritan preacher-writer, in one of his sermons said that God's Word feeds meditation and meditation feeds prayer referring on Isaac's meditation in the field, in Genesis 24:63).

The prayer itself is deeper than words. This occurs in the soul before being expressed in words, and dwell in it even after we stopped talking.

What God expects from us when we pray?

Let us go back into the Lord Prayer and see these initial expectations as we notice that He expect us to pray as Jesus said at the beginning of verse 9 -"When you pray," then the first three petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are about His name, His kingdom and His will.

His name: “Our Father in Heaven” - He is our Heavenly Father, is our duty and privilege to sanctify his name. A privilege given to those who received and believe in His Son name, Jesus Christ (John 1:12). Able to invoke God as our Father gives another meaning to life and considerably enhances the qualification of a Christian. Sanctify the name of God in all we do. This means to not only get up and go to church worship on Sundays. But we must sanctify and honor His name in our homes, our workplaces, and in the sincerity of our own consciousness.

His Kingdom: "Thy kingdom come" - What does this expression means to you? To about two-thirds of the world's humanity means absolutely nothing. Why? That is because two-third of the world are whether not Christians, not of the same religion, and millions of people to say they don’t believe in God and have no religion. When the kingdom of God comes, it will have an effect on all members of humanity.

His will: Regarding God, this petition perhaps is the most difficult one for us: “Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven.”

That third petition is what most Christians have difficulties in their prayers - That is, to pray that God's will be done in our own lives. We must pray like the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. – “Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Mat. 26:39)

Jesus said in Mat. 7:21 - "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven".

To sum up, let us notice, that the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer occupies a descending order of importance:

Same God in His essence and attributes: Holy Father.

Then; the demonstration of God in its kingdom and,

Finally, the subjugation of all to His will, within that realm. Heaven and Earth.

Again, that third point is to surrender of all to His will is what most Christians struggle in accepting.

We should commit in prayer like King David said in Psalm 40:8 –“ I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

The petition “I desire to do your will” is to let us do His will through our life, but in such way that not simply “WE DO IT”, but we do it happily and consciously and in a way that makes His will come to be ours.

Also in Psalm 143:10 - "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."

In John 7:17 Jesus said – “If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own."

Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:27 – “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.”

Please come back to this blog as I will post the second part. Until then may God put His Blessings upon you as you seek His will. Let His word speaks to you.

Your Brother in Christ,

Moses Miranda
Christian Blogger

Follow me in twitter at twitter.com/prayerlighthous

The Basic Principles of a Prayer

On my first blog of the topic "The Nature of Prayer". I spoke about the precious lessons Jesus teaches us in the "Lord Prayer". As a model for us to use when we pray. Now I am going to discuss some basic principles for prayer that Jesus also teach us prior to give the Lord Prayer in Matthew 6:9.

These basic principles He gives us are in Mat. 6:6(NIV) -"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Here we see five (5) principles for a prayer.

1. Make time to pray - "when you pray"
2. Have a place to pray - "go into your room"
3. Have privacy - "close the door"
4. Pray to God only - "pray to your Father" (Specific Person-why? People pray to other idols and gods). "Our Father in Heaven" Matthew 6:9
5. God will answer prayer - "Then your Father will reward you"

We should consider Jesus Christ lessons about prayer very carefully. The verse of Mat 6:6 Jesus' teaches us that to conduct our personal prayer is simple and concise. He teaches the necessity to bring our request to God, and assures us His willingness to hear and answer our prayers. Jesus later said to His disciples in John 16:24 - "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

On my next post I will discuss the questions many people have "What God expect from us in prayer".

Until then, you have a blessed day and rememeber you can follow me at twitter.

Your Brother in Christ

Moises
Christian Blogger
Follow me at Twitter.com/prayerlighthous

What is the "Nature of a Prayer"?

A well beloved prayer that our Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples known as "The Lord Prayer", was obviously given to be used as a model in how to pray (Mat.6:9a). The most intriging part in this "Lord Prayer" is how Jesus teaches us many precious lessons about the nature of prayer.

1. Such prayer is based upon our relationship with God as our Father of all who believe in His Son (see John 1:12) can only truly call God, "Our Father" (Matthew 6:9).
2. You must begin the prayer with an attitude of worship "hollowed be thy name" - Our absolute knowledge of God's holiness, who He is and does.
3. A sense of in our petition, that our prayer must first seek His kingdom (Mat.5:33), and its coming down from Heaven.
4. True prayer accepts in advance the will of God, whether it is known or unknown, whether granted or not granted.
5. A prayer should always envision the divine will and kingdom as objectives which will certainly be realized on earth.
6. Prayer may be hinder when the fellowship of the children with their Father is broken because of sin (see Mat. 6:12, 15 & Mark 11:25).
7. We as children of God must not merely know how to pray but we must be divenely taught to pray.

We must have an element of thanksgiving in our prayer (Php 4:6-7) and we are commanded by our Lord to pray in His name (John 16:23-24).

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